Could I put in a gentle challenge to your wish to ‘lose weight quicker’ and ask – WHY? How about approaching this as a way of eating rather than a ‘diet’; a marathon, not a sprint? Yes, I’m also doing 5:2 to lose weight but I know from previous ‘diets’ that what I call the ‘diet mentality’ can lead to impatience and then sabotage when results aren’t as quick as you would expect. To give you an idea of ‘average’ weight loss to expect, Michael Mosley has just posted an update. I’ll post the link after I’ve submitted this post! Bear in mind it is an average, so some will lose more, some less.

You don’t actually have to cut out ANY food on 5:2 if you don’t want to. You DO have to keep to 500/600 cals on a fast day (depending on your gender). The other 5 days, try and keep to your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE). You can calculate this on the ‘your tracker’ page of this site. It is specific to each individual and changes as one’s weight and BMI decrease.

As we’re all human, everyone has a blow-out/lapse/feast whatever you call it, at some time or other. Don’t give yourself a hard time, just continue with 5:2 the day after.

There is a thread called ‘the basics for newbies’ too which can be handy. You can find it via the search box at the top of the page.

I hope this is helpful. All the best, BB

A quick correction. You can find out how to calculate your TDEE ie the maximum calories you should have on a non-fast day here:http://thefastdiet.co.uk/how-many-calories-on-a-non-fast-day/

I wrongly directed you to ‘Your tracker’ for the info.